Mortgage Reform & Foreclosure Relief
Public Safety
Consumer Protection
Environmental Protection
Health Care
Other

 

Mortgage Reform & Foreclosure Relief

 

ABx2 7 - Residential mortgage loans: foreclosure.

The unending tidal wave of home foreclosures, caused in large part by an out-of-control Wall Street, has crippled our state and devastated our communities.  To stem the tide of foreclosures and get our economy back on track, the California Foreclosure Prevention Act imposes a 90-day foreclosure moratorium unless a lender offers a comprehensive loan modification program designed to keep people in their homes.

AB 260 - Lending.

California is ground-zero for home foreclosures, accounting for approximately one-third of the entire nation's foreclosures.  AB 260 is designed to bring trust and security back to California’s mortgage market by eliminating predatory practices and reassuring the secondary market that loans bought in California are sound. This bill makes important changes that provide necessary protections for borrowers and creates a more stable and responsible lending environment.

AB 550 - California Financial Literacy Initiative.

The alarming increase of home foreclosures and bankruptcy filings, along with mounting credit card debt, are strong indicators that many Californians do not have the tools necessary to take control of their personal finances. To improve financial literacy, AB 550 establishes a Financial Literacy Fund supported by private donations to help pay for personal finance instruction materials and programs without the need for state resources.

 

Public Safety

 

AB 32 - Public officials: personal information

Law enforcement and public safety officials and their families are at risk when their personal information, especially their home addresses, can be accessed on the Internet. AB 32 protects public safety officials and their families by requiring data vendors to remove this personal information from being posted online.

AB 383 - Criminal procedure: DNA evidence.

A significant challenge facing the criminal justice system is the substantial backlog of unanalyzed DNA samples and biological evidence from crime scenes, especially sex crime cases.  AB 383 provides law enforcement agencies with more time to analyze biological evidence collected in sex crimes. This bill will help law enforcement solve more crimes, convict the guilty and exonerate the wrongfully-accused.

AB 532 - Search warrants: firearms.

Currently, law enforcement officers cannot remove firearms and other deadly weapons from the scene of a domestic violence incident or from individuals who pose an immediate danger to themselves if they make the arrest or detention outside a residence and no exigent circumstance exists allowing them access to the inside of the residence. AB 532 protects victims of domestic violence by allowing law enforcement officials to obtain a search warrant and seize firearms and other dangerous weapons after such incidents.

AB 668 - Firearms: gun-free school zones.

Firearms simply have no place in our schools.  It is beneficial to student safety to expand the area of our gun free school zones and to insure that lawfully possessed firearms are locked in vehicles and not readily accessible. Sponsored by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, AB 668 does this by expanding the Gun Free School Zone around a school building from 1,000 to 1,500 feet.

AB 898 - Notaries public.

Bogus documents are often notarized and submitted to the California Secretary of State’s office for certification, yet this office has no power to review the documents’ authenticity.  AB 898 stops this abuse by giving the Secretary of State the authority to refuse to process documents that are clearly intended for fraudulent purposes.

AB 1516 - Criminal procedure: discovery.

When the prosecution has no means to independently investigate the appropriateness of a mental defense claim by a defendant, the prosecution’s ability to deliver justice for the victims is compromised. AB 1516 would authorize a court to order a defendant to submit to a prosecution retained mental health expert in a criminal case where the defendant places his/her mental state in issue as a defense to the criminal charge.

 

Consumer Protection

 

AB 350 - Debt management and settlement.

As the economy continues to slip deeper into recession, debt settlement becomes an even more critical piece of the overall economic solution by providing consumers options to avoid bankruptcy, reduce their debt, and return to a firm financial footing.  AB 350 establishes strong state oversight and creates a clear set of rules for the unregulated debt settlement industry. This bill protects consumers from false and deceptive advertising, and establishes an internal complaint process. 

AB 568 - Counterfeit goods: unlawful detainer.

Existing laws and penalties have proven ineffective in stopping the underground economy from operating out of certain business properties for the manufacture, distribution and sales of pirated goods and products. AB 568 fights the problem of piracy and counterfeiting by giving local law enforcement officials the power to declare any building or property on which counterfeiting occurs a public or private "nuisance."

AB 625 - Novelty lighters.

Novelty lighters look like children’s toys and have features that are attractive to children, including visual effects, flashing lights, and musical sounds. Here in California and across the nation, novelty lighters have been responsible for numerous injuries, accidents, and deaths. AB 625 will prohibit the sale, distribution, or offer for promotion of novelty lighters. This legislation takes an important step in reducing fires, property loss and lives lost or injured.

AB 992 - Advertising: residential property taxes: assessment appeal application filing services.

As property values have dropped, a blatant and costly scam has arisen where private companies contact homeowners and offer to help them lower their property tax bills.  AB 992 protects homeowners from these scams by prohibiting collection of advance or late fees, and requires that written authorization from homeowners must be provided before a property value reassessment request is filed.

AB 1122 - Animal abuse: sale of live animals: flea markets.

Puppy mills and unregulated backyard breeding place California’s animal population at risk of disease, abuse, and neglect.  AB 1122 addresses this problem by banning the sale of live animals on a public street or open-air market. This bill will alleviate the suffering of animals while they are awaiting sale.

AB 1512 - Food and drugs: sale.

Many retailers in California have been caught selling expired products to consumers, including over-the-counter medicines, baby food and infant formula. Not only does this practice violate state laws against false advertising and unfair business practices, they also endanger the well-being of California's consumers.  AB 1512 will protect the health and safety of consumers by banning the sale of these expired products.

 

Environmental Protection

 

AB 166 - Vessels: abandonment: abatement.

In a bad economy, many irresponsible boat owners are ditching their vessels in our state’s bays, rivers and shorelines rather than surrendering them to authorities for proper disposal. AB 166 creates a surrendered vessel program using existing state resources whereby boat owners can turn in their vessels to a local government agency before these vessels become unseaworthy and pollute state waterways.

AB 828 - Green building standards.

Strong green building standards will help California retain its leadership role in environmentally sound building construction and in the fight against greenhouse gas emissions.  AB 828 establishes a comprehensive process for developing strong statewide green building standards that incorporate expertise from state agencies responsible for protecting California’s public health and environment.

AB 1061 - Water-efficient landscapes.

California is heading into a record third year of drought, and we are facing the worst water crisis in modern state history. AB 1061 would help reduce water use throughout California by making it easier for homeowners to install water efficient and drought resistant landscaping.  It does this by removing obstacles that prevent homeowners who live in common-interest developments from installing water efficient landscapes.

AB 1500 - High-occupancy lanes: single occupancy vehicles: sunset date.

Access to HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) lanes by single-occupancy vehicles that meet the federal low emission standards is an effective way to encourage the purchase and lease of these vehicles. AB 1500 promotes usage of low-emission vehicles by extending their access to HOV lanes through 2016. [Current law sunsets on January 1, 2011.] As such, this bill will improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gasses by encouraging the use of alternative-fuel vehicles.

AB 1527 - Motor vehicle emission reduction projects.

California continues to be a national leader in improving air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector. AB 1527 continues California’s leadership role by modernizing state agencies’ ability to combine air quality program funds and climate change program funds to create incentives for enhanced projects that create greater benefits for air quality and increased reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Health Care

 

AB 773 - Health facilities: fines.

Senior citizens have the right to live in safe, clean long-term care facilities that are free from abuse and neglect. AB 773 helps ensure this happens by requiring these facilities to notify families of residents whenever there are severe violations that place patients in immediate jeopardy.

AB 911 - Emergency rooms: overcrowding.

Overcrowding in hospital emergency rooms is an enormous problem that extends wait times, diverts ambulances, and delays treatment for urgent care.  AB 911 requires California hospitals to follow national standards to help relieve ER overcrowding and ensure adequate patient care.

AB 1503 - Emergency medical care: billing.

Under current law, physicians may charge uninsured patients several times what Medicare or private insurance pays for the same health care services in hospital emergency rooms. With over 6 million individuals dependent on emergency rooms for their health care because they are uninsured and/or unemployed, AB 1503 reaches out to those in need by providing affordable physician care and protecting them from overly aggressive collections activity.

AB 1532 - In-home supportive services.

The In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, which provides personal care and domestic services to aged, blind or disabled individuals in their own homes, receives federal funding through the federal Medicaid health insurance program. AB 1532 would require counties to direct appropriate federal economic stimulus funds towards IHSS programs within their counties.  This bill will ensure that our most vulnerable citizens will continue to have stable, quality care.

 

Other

 

AB 951 - Charter-party carriers.

In a response to the alarming number of charter bus crashes over the past few years, including the tragic crash of a charter bus in 2008 that killed several Asian and Pacific Islander Americans bound for a California casino, AB 951 strengthens regulations on charter bus companies and increases fines on violations by charter bus drivers who are driving without proper licenses.

AB 1185 - Birth certificates: new issuance: venue.

Birth certificates are the foundation of our identity documents, including drivers licenses, social security cards, and passports. AB 1185 will allow individuals who were born in California but are now living elsewhere and have surgically changed their gender, to obtain a revised birth certificate that indicates their new gender. Also known as the Equal ID Act, AB 1185 will make certain that every Californian will have the freedom and liberty to be true to his or herself.

AB 1335 - Elections: write-in candidates.

The impartiality and integrity of our court system is paramount. AB 1335 would add one additional criteria to the list of items a write-in candidate must file to include a statement that the person satisfies the constitutional eligibility requirements for a superior court judge. This helps ensure the highest level of integrity in the election process.